The OnePlus 13R is the best Android phone I've used

 Google keeps sending e-mails about their new watch, their new phones.  I'm not buying them.  The Pixel 10 is apparently less fast than the Pixel 9, even with an expensive foundry change to 3nm process.

 

Why does Google bother? My Pixel 6a was a good three years behind the competition in power.  Since the Pixel 9, they were only a few months behind the rest.  Now, they're further back again.

I've gone through a few Android devices:

• LG Optimus S
• Google Nexus 7 (Nvidia)
• Google Nexus 7 (ASUS) 
• Lenovo Tab M8 FHD
• OnePlus 8T
• Google Pixel 6a
• Razer Edge WiFi
• OnePlus 13R

There is more history in that list than I care to remember.  The bright spots are the OnePlus devices.

 The OnePlus 8T used the Snapdragon 865.  I heard about the Snapdragon 888 overheating and didn't want to deal with that.  The good thing was that the 8T was smooth and configured as if it meant to get an iPhone user to like it.  It had a beautiful display and smooth scrolling.

The OnePlus 13R is a lot like the 8T in my mind.  The big difference is that time has brought more powerful processors.  The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC is quite powerful and includes Adreno (Radeon?) 750, which is reasonable.  Heat is a slight issue but it never shows a "cooling down" message as the Razer Edge does with its Snapdragon G3X.  Having UFS 4.0 storage is good and 12 GB of RAM is enough. I haven't tried to use Gemini or Copilot, even though they are pre-loaded.  I have used Google Assistant in the past, especially when I couldn't see the Pixel 6a display outside.

Playing games with either is satisfying but obviously, the extra power of the 13R helps.  The Razer Kishi V2 works with the 13R, but not the 8T.  However, the Razer Kishi V2 Pro does not work with either.  It doesn't work with my overheating, then melting Razer Edge, either.

 I have not tried the cameras but I'm sure that they're more than adequate.  I have a micro Four-Thirds camera body, as well as a 135 Format camera body, so phone cameras are adequate to more than adequate.

These are phones that would have me switch from iPhone to Android.  However, my iPhone 15 is my current phone and it's a good size for me to carry. 

Update 2025.12.19: The OnePlus 15R is ready to be ordered.  I might consider it in a couple of years.  The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is switched to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. 

I noticed that my 13R has been updated to Android 16.  It's been working so smoothly that I didn't notice the transition. 

Update 2026.01.27: OnePlus is going out of business.  That's a bit strange considering that they were bought by Oppo.  I suppose Oppo got what they wanted and don't want to bother with the lower end. 

Razer Edge has died and OnePlus 13R is here

 It hasn't been that long ago that I bought my Razer Edge.  It was being sold at US$199.99, which was a bargain price, even for a WiFi-only model because it came with a Kishi V2 Pro controller.

If you read my earlier blog entries, it was good but not great, and then, it was dead.  The company had an arduous website support mess.  I started the claim within my account, and it asked me to fill in my account details.  Then, I couldn't access some of the most important pages, so support staff added some of my information, and handed the support pages back to me to finish.  When it had been completed, Razer support sent me a package and label (that was another issue) and I returned it.  It didn't take too long and they sent me a whole retail box, complete with cables and another controller.

 That unit died today and I was in the middle of a game, no less.

 I'm more-or-less ahead of where I was with Android.  We'll see if Android helps me recover.  If that doesn't quite make sense, let me give you my Android history.  I had an LG Optimus S as my first Android phone.  It didn't have enough storage to hold apps and and do a System Update.  The next Android product I got was the Google Nexus 7 tablet by Nvidia.  I returned that within a week.  The next year, I got the Google Nexus 7 tablet by ASUS.  I didn't have that for years.  Then, I got a Lenovo Tab M8 FHD, which in 2018 felt like the tablet from 2013.  I later bought the OnePlus 8T and still later, the Pixel 6a.

I decided to buy a reliable phone to replace the Razer Edge: the OnePlus 13R.  I had a OnePlus 8T a couple of years ago and it seemed to be made for an Apple iPhone user.  Physical things seemed to be where they should be.  The operating system seemed to understand how I needed it to work.  When I played a game, it adjusted for it.

 Then, I had a problem with the USB type C port.  Rather than get it fixed, I bought a Google Pixel 6a, and that was a huge mistake.  In fact, the upgrade to Android 14 didn't like that I had two users and it decided my data was corrupt and I had no choice but to erase it.  If the Android 14 upgrade had been optional or I could have postponed it, I would have.  That device is on Android 16 now, but it will never have my trust again.

Last year, I looked at the OnePlus 12R.  They had some good prices on it and it was quite powerful for not being the top-of-the-line phone.  The OnePlus 13R is equally impressive for the time, and at US$529 with a free case and US$50 trade-in/recycling credit, it's a decent deal.

 

Having 256 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM will be helpful. Having the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC will smack the Pixel 6a back into the dark ages.  Having a good cooling system will stop the likelihood of a Razer Edge-like overheating incident.  The 120 Hz low-power OLED will be impressive and the huge battery will keep things going.

 To me, this is still a lot of money for a device to just play games.  I might use it as a phone some time in the future, but it's a device for playing games.  You can tell me about other devices that are twice as much money.  They might be better, but not for me.  I bought an iPhone 15 to be my phone.  I didn't need AI messing up anything and that phone doesn't support it natively.  The 13R will have it, but I won't use that functionality unless it's part of the camera app or something like that and I have no choice.

Razer Edge on 13R box

 

Anyway, hopefully, it will be on the way sooner than expected.  The U.S. headquarters moved from Texas to California, so someone could probably drop it off on their way home.  Well, I got a shipment notice but it's at least a six hour drive from here.  I don't believe that FedEx will work that quickly.

Edge on the left, 13R on the right

 

Update 2025.07.16: The OnePlus 13R arrived.  It's big like the 8T, which isn't a horrible problem because it's still smaller than the Razer Edge.

The device came with 54% charge (6000 mAh battery) so I started downloading immediately.  There was a System Update and after that, another one.

Holding it, I was surprised to see the buttons moved.  Mute switch is on the left hand side, but Power and Volume buttons are on the right.  On the 8T, the Volume buttons were on the left and the Power button and Mute switch were on the right.  My iPhone 15 has Volume buttons and the Mute switch on the left with the Power button on the right.

The OLED is as good as expected.  It may be more power efficient, but at least, it's a 120 Hz display.  Games work as expected.  If you ever want to test a phone, run Tower of God: New World.  For a handheld game, it's quite demanding.  The display is so much better than the Razer Edge.  I'm glad I didn't spend much on that one.  I just looked at the Pixel 6a, which had a System Update and the display is pathetically bad.

 Just as I felt when I used the 8T, I could use the 13R as a replacement phone for my current iPhone.   I know that Samsung has a lot of fans, but I suspect many buy it just because it isn't Apple and that their advertising makes fun of Apple.  I've never had much luck with Samsung.

 The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 seems quite a bit stronger than the G3X that the Razer Edge had.  As many have said, that seemed to be a Snapdragon 888 with a better GPU and all the heat problems were intensified.

 

Running Tower of God: New World, it is warm, but not so hot as to fail.  The Razer Edge would have the fan going and be hot enough to cook something.  It would display "Cooling Down" but the message was only there for a moment.  OnePlus have instituted a Power Pass-Through mode where you can have a power bank attached and it will bypass the battery charging and just supply power to the unit, much the way Apple does with the Mac.

Update 2025.07.17: The 13R got a full charge overnight and it seems ready for anything.  I'm not sure how much I want to take it outside to test the cameras.  I've tried some games and it's quite good.  The Kishi V2 Pro does not work with it, but it doesn't work with my iPhone 15, either.  The older Kishi V2 works with both.  I'm not sure why Razer doesn't actually test to confirm which devices work but it's annoying.  The Kishi V3 and V3 Pro are available, but I'm not ready to put more money into Android gaming or into Razer. 

Apple's Home Button is dead and gone: iPhone 16e

 I've been using Apple devices with a Home Button since the 2nd generation iPod touch around 2009.

With the iPhone 16e, the Home Button is gone.  There is still a fingerprint reader in some iPad Power Buttons but that's it.  The iPhone 16e has Face ID, along with a passcode to secure the device.

As someone who has kept with the original aesthetic through the 2022 iPhone SE, I'm not sure that I want to switch, but will probably do it just to arrive sooner than later.  I dislike the inane gestures, and there won't be any substitutes as there are on Android.  People around me have switched and when they need help, we struggle a fair amount.

The price is up US$170 with a minimum storage size of 128 GB in contrast to the 64 GB base of the 2022 iPhone SE.  When I bought the 2020 and 2022 models, I paid the extra $150 up front to get the 256 GB model.  Then, the 2020 was $0.00 per month (for 18 months) with credits and the 2022 as $1.25 per month (for 24 months) with credits.  If I remember correctly, I had a pay off at the end of the 2020 plan.  I would expect to pay something like $3.75 per month for the iPhone 16e.

What's good is that it has a version of the iPhone 16 SoC (System on a Chip), just as the 2022 iPhone SE had a version of the iPhone 13 SoC.  It's probably not as powerful, but better than the competition and 40% faster than the 2022 iPhone SE.  It has more RAM for games and AI.  I have zero use for AI right now.  In 30 years, it will probably be very useful.  Right now, it's an infant and I don't want to change diapers.

It also has the Apple-developed 5G cellular modem that they bought from Intel who bought from someone else. The modem in the 2022 iPhone SE isn't particularly quick but it is reliable.  This new one is the first of its kind.  It might work okay.  Supposedly, there are some outstanding patent issues they need to settle.  It does not support the infamous mmWave, which is just fine with me.  Who will be close enough to the tower, without obstructions, to actually use mmWave connections?

I hope that the OLED technology is at least as reliable as the LCD is on the current model.  It's a 60 Hz OLED display and that could mean problems scrolling.  I've seen how bad that could be with the Google Pixel 6a.  I don't care to revisit such a situation with an iPhone.

They replaced the 12 MP camera sensor with 48 MP and a 26 MP telephoto mode.  That's more than either of my camera bodies and they will still have better image quality because they're not trying to squeeze so much into a small space.  I have referred to this as a noisy bus.  The bus is nice and quiet with a few passengers, but when you overload it and have people standing in the aisle, people will be unhappy and complain.  The size of most phone sensors is tiny.

All that said, if you're looking for an iPhone, the 16e is a place to start.  It's only US$100 cheaper than the next available phone.  You can get less expensive Android-based phones.  If you're looking for something Android, take a look at OnePlus.  I saw a deal on a 120 Hz OLED display, 12 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for US$599.  It's a OnePlus 13R.

Update 2025.02.27: Apparently, the 16e has better battery life than the iPhone 16, and the 5G modem is partly responsible.

Update 2025.03.07: I just bought an iPhone 15 with my 2022 iPhone SE going back as a trade-in device.  It won't be as powerful as the 16e but it will have a better display.  At about US$1.50 more per month for 24 months, it wasn't a huge difference.  I would normally wait for Memorial Day deals but I don't care for the iPhone 16e.  I'm not saying that it's a bad phone.  It's just not a good choice for me.

With the iPhone 15 having a better SoC than the iPhone 13 generation, I'll have better power but not ultimate power.  Being pushed into a 6.1 inch display, I'd rather have one that is a bit better.  I'm not sure the extra camera module will have any significance.  I'd rather take a real camera with me.

Update 2025.03.11: The iPhone 15 is good.  There was lots of updating and the side-by-side phone transfer did not work, except for the SIM to eSIM  part.  I connected the cable between Mac and phone to restore.  Just finished with with operating system updates last night and there was a new one with security updates.  I guess their separate security update thing isn't working or they forgot how to use it. 

People on MacRumors are mentioning that the iPhone 16e is good and that they're happy with it.

Update 2025.03.19: I've been learning the inane gestures since there is no Home Button.

I can get the Control Center to work and there are three different pages, unlike the smaller display version.

I can somewhat reliably bring up the App Switcher, but sometimes, it just doesn't want to work in one swipe.  The App Carousel swipe at the bottom works okay.

Switching between Home Pages works the same as on the small screen.

Editing Home Pages requires press-and-hold in an empty area.

 I suppose it's not so bad, but it's certainly difficult to change from 15-16 years of doing everything with the Home Button. 

Update 2025.05.20: A week or so ago, I saw a security update for the Apple-designed C1 modem.  I have not seen anyone complaining about the modem itself.  The iPhone 16e seems to work well.  It just wasn't for me.  I'm getting better at the plethora of inane gestures required to use the phone well.

When I'm using a timer or waiting for Uber, it's convenient to see the status in that dark spot at the top.

 When I was walking through Target, I saw the prices on the iPhone display and I could only shake my head.  When I was buying the iPhone 8, the iPhone X was US$999 and that was just a bit shocking.  However, my Motorola StarTac in 1999 was $1599 down to $9.95.  It was a Digital PCS phone, but also had access to analog signals.  The least expensive full price phones I recall were Nokia for US$149.99 or $99.99 for the cut rate model.

In any case, Apple is still selling phones and the phones and computers have been exempted from the tariffs, thanks to $1 million for someone's inauguration fund.  I bought at the right time, though.

Razer Edge on the way--It's here!

 If you've been following for a while, you know that I haven't been happy with the Google Pixel 6a.  It was much less powerful than my OnePlus 8T, but compatible with my Razer Kishi V2.  Obviously, I play too many games.

I had been looking for a Razer Phone 2 for a long time, but those days are long gone.  The Razer Edge is only available as a phone on Verizon, and I'm not switching.  Since Android 14 on the Pixel 6a wiped my data, I haven't had an Android phone.  I've been using it on Wi-Fi only.  The Wi-Fi only Razer Edge will be just fine.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon G3X Gen 1 will be so much better than the SoC in either phone.  The Snapdragon 865 in the OnePlus 8T was fine and I got it specifically because the Snapdragon 888 was overheating in several phones.  Hopefully, I won't experience that.

The 144 Hz refresh rate of the OLED display is faster than the 120 Hz of the OnePlus 8T or the 60 Hz of the Google Pixel 6a.  I'm betting not much is ready to use it, though.  There don't seem to be many "holy shit!" games on Android.

 However, even the ligher ones tax the Pixel 6a, which is why I wanted something better.

Newegg has a deal on the Razer Edge with a coupon for US$100 off US$299.99.  Getting a product for 66% is good.

I'm guessing that with Steam Deck doing well and ASUS and Lenovo creating competitors, plus the previous Windows-baseed handhelds, Razer Edge hasn't been the big seller that they had hoped.

The only thing that might be a problem for me is that not all games use Google Play Games for their status updates.  The good thing for me is that, since Android 14 wiped out the other information, I won't be worrying about those other games.  I will likely have to transfer my music from my Google Drive backup.

Update 2024.07.20: It has arrived.  The device directed me to connect the two devices with a cable to copy information.  It connected to my main Android account easily.  That set off the Google warnings immediately.

Then, it updated some system software, asked for permissions, etc.

The strange thing is that it's only using Android 12.  It also didn't copy my second user account and barely copied any of the apps.

There doesn't seem to be a way to add another Home screen to host my games.  I really don't want to use the apps drawer every time I want to start them.  They probably think that everyone is going to use their Nexus app, even when the Kishi V2 Pro is not connected.  I'm not sure that is a good choice.  By the way, the Kishi V2, Pro or otherwise, takes power from the USB type-C port.  If you're not well charged, you could go into the danger zone quickly.

The newer controller seems better with controls that are easier to find while playing.

They refer to the Edge as a tablet.  It's certainly big but what is a tablet these days.  Is a 6.8 inch display big enough for a tablet?  My Google Nexus 7 tablets were just a bit bigger but there are a lot of phones on the market that are almost the same size.  I don't know I'll be putting it in my pocket to game out of the house.  This one is Wi-Fi only and, while I can provide an internet connection from my phone, it wouldn't be wise to have two devices without power.

It's almost charged to a good level again.  Once I get my apps downloaded, I'll see how powerful it is.

It's powerful enough.  It's like the Snapdragon 888 with a GPU upgrade.  Device warms up too much.  Graphics flow smoothly.  I suppose it's a good thing that they didn't upgrade to Android 13 or Android 14.  Perhaps, the 5G version is capable of being upgraded.  It's a bit sad that it only has 128 GB of storage and 6 GB of RAM.  My OnePlus 8T had 256 GB and 12 GB, respectively.

There is a huge black frame around the display.  People talk about bezels but this feels more like an artificial frame that has nothing to do with the actual display.  However, it's rounded in the corners and covers some of the display so it's difficult to press buttons.

Kishi V2 Pro feels like the older version, but with force (haptic) feedback.  It's quite responsive on Asphalt 9 Legends/Legends Unite, although the game seems a bit sluggish since its re-design.

I've tried all of my Netmarble games and they work fine.

Those would be: Tower of God: New World, Seven Knights II, Solo Leveling: Arise, and Grand Cross:Age of Titans.

Black Clover M and Sword Chronicles: Awaken are also working just fine.

There are a lot of little, strange things about the interface that don't make sense but I suppose they wanted everyone to have the Nexus app running as their main interface.  If you want a machine that isn't a phone, this is a good device.  If you need a phone, buy something from OnePlus or Samsung, especially if you can get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8, Gen 3.  For the price I paid, it was an easy choice, US$100 for the controller and US$100 for the device.

Update 2024.08.02: Something was odd when I was updating a game.  There wasn't enough space.  I've been using a Google Pixel 6a with two accounts on 128 GB of storage.  The Edge only has one account on 128 GB of storage.  It's certainly possible that the games have become larger.  However, there seemed to be plenty of space and I removed some screenshots and it was fine after that.

 I just can't imagine that one account has suddenly become bigger than two accounts put together.  Maybe, it's Android 12, although I had two accounts on the OnePlus 8T but I had 256 GB of storage.

Update 2024.12.02: It was flickering last night and I had been using it without charging for a while, so I thought that it was so low that I had missed the 20% warning.

This morning, it's a brick.  It's completely unresponsive.  It hasn't even been five months that I've had it.  The good thing is that it was essentially a US$100 device and the Kishi V2 Pro is still working.  I believe that's still working.  I got their Cyber Monday advertising and I don't believe I want to put any more of my money into a company with such poor quality.  Maybe, I'll open it and find that the Snapdragon G3X overheated, even though the fan was louder than my desk fan.

I'm not sure that I want to put money into another Android device, unless it's a OnePlus 12R.  My OnePlus 8T was good for games, but the USB type-C port is not working, so I couldn't charge it, and it didn't work with the Kishi V2.  The Google Pixel 6a barely works when it's working and it's so slow that it should have been US$100 instead of US$300.  I bought it just before the Pixel 7 series arrived.

Update 2024.12.23: Got the Edge back to Razer but their web site apparently wasn't tested and wasn't able to take input to receive my information, which they already have elsewhere in their system.  There is another one on the way from Hong Kong.  It took three days to get across Hong Kong, so I don't hold much hope that it will arrive before the end of the year.

Update 2024.12.30: Replacement is here.  They sent the whole retail package, so I got another Kishi V2 Pro controller.  I need to ask them how they want me to return the new one.  It wouldn't be fair to keep it or the extra power cable and brick they also sent.  Setting up everything is a bit of a pain, but I eliminated a few games this year, so it's easier than it would have been.

Update 2025.03.03: After playing a couple of games I went to charge the replacement Razer Edge and it flickered like the other one did before it died.  It was unresponsive for quite a while and I just plugged in the cable to charge it.  It's working again, but I suppose this one is also at its end soon.

Since Android 14, my Pixel 6a is suddenly unusable Update: slightly better

 Apparently, Google didn't test Android 14 very well on Pixel 6a, Pixel 6, or Pixel 6 Pro.

There is a problem with multiple users on the operating system on those devices.

After a few days of Android 14, it has decided that my data is corrupt and has pushed me to do a Factory Data Reset.  Otherwise, I'm stuck watching "Pixel is starting..." forever.

Since I've been using this phone, it's been one problem after another.  The developers really didn't consider that people would use the phones because it hasn't been as smooth as other Android distributions.

Even as chaotic as OnePlus was with their Oppo-inspired mix, it was made for users.  I suppose I should just go back to my OnePlus 8T, as it was faster, smoother, and a better experience altogether.

I'm seriously disappointed that Google isn't as good as smaller companies in developing Android-based devices.

Well, I did the Factory Data Reset and started fresh.  I've got one user account and very few apps.  It's going to be a very long time until I trust it again.  Sadly, some of my data is gone forever.

I won't buy another piece of hardware from Google.  This Pixel 6a is the last, after two iterations of the Nexus 7 tablets.  One of those (with the Nvidia Tegra) was such a disaster that I returned it immediately.

I've been fighting with the Pixel 6a ever since I got it.  At US$299.99 - 10% Target team member discount - 5% Red Card discount, it was an easy choice.  However, my luck with Android has been just okay.  I didn't figure that Google's own Android release would finish off my data. 

Update 2023.10.22: Asphalt 9, which was working on Android 14 is no longer working.  It just hangs.  Oh, never mind.  It starts after a few minutes.  That's not as fast as when it started in a few seconds.  Way to go, Google!

Update 2023.11.16: I added my other account, feeling a bit more cautious, as it might be labeled corrupt and cause everything to be wiped again.

Mostly, it's fine.  Asphalt 9 was running just fine, but days later, it isn't.  Something seems seriously wrong with Android 14, or maybe, it's just Google's phone team's implementation.  I really haven't done much with the phone, as I'm not quite ready to invest time on something that may never work correctly again.

Update 2023.12.06: Android update for security apparently had more in it than something like 37 security fixes.  Asphalt 9 is running again.  Hopefully, it will stay that way.  I wanted to transfer music back to the phone but the Files app is irritatingly difficult.  It could be worse, to be certain.  It found my USB drive after a while.  There isn't as much music as there is free space but it claims that there isn't room available.  It won't transfer some of it and it's a pain to transfer folder by folder.

Maybe, their new AI can figure out how people actually use phones and computers and they can use it to generate applications that actually work for people.

Google, you damaged the trust I had that the phone would work.  You destroyed what I had and, while I continue to try to use it, there is no way I will spend more money on hardware from Google.  It isn't in my best interest.

Update 2024.02.01: I let my phone plan finish.  Since I have a 2022 iPhone SE that's my regular phone, I only had a cheap plan to try Android.  Google has shown me that they don't care and I'm not about to spend money on such a phone.

The interesting thing is that, without a 5G connection, moving from my usual spot that is a floor above the router, causes the phone not to be able to access the internet at all.  Even if it's only a few feet (a meter or two), the phone can't find an internet connection.  Isn't that pathetic?

Update 2024.02.22: I almost bought a OnePlus 12R.  It's quite a good phone with a recent processor and multiple cameras and sensors.  My credit union signaled a fraud alert, which gave me a second chance to think about it.  I doubt that it works with my Razer Kishi V2, although the Razer web site finally mentions that the OnePlus 8 Pro doesn't work with it, and I had the 8T.  Would I buy the Razer Edge, which is guaranteed to work with the Razer Kishi V2 Pro and just let my Pixel 6a and Razer Kishi V2 sit, abandoned?

Update 2024.06.23: I've been looking at the Razer Edge again, since Newegg has it for US$299.00 and I can pay $76 something four times.  I'm sorry that I bought this Google Pixel 6a so much that I will never buy another Google product.  I'm doubtful that Google cares how much anyone likes their products, as long as they continue to buy them.

If they went back to being an internet search-only company, would the world care?

Update 2024.12.17: I got a notice for Android 15.  That's come a few weeks behind the announcement that Android 15 was ready for Pixel devices.  I'm allowing it to be installed.  Can they mess it up more?  I'd be sadly amused but not surprised.

It's still working.  I haven't done much with it, yet.  Hopefully, it doesn't act much different than Android 14.

Update 2025.06.26: Android 16 is now installed.  Tips showed me a couple of changes but I don't see anything remarkable.  It doesn't seem slower, which is a bonus considering how slow it is.

Switching from a OnePlus 8T to a Google Pixel 6a: What could go wrong?

 Now that the 8T is approximately 3 major versions behind, I wondered if it was time to switch.  I also recently bought a Razer Kishi V2, which for some reasons, doesn't work with it.  Android version 12 seems good but I wonder what kind of a mess the OnePlus/Oppo combination has made.  Things just don't seem quite right.  What better way to get a clear version of Android than from Google.

My last Google-labeled device was the 2013 ASUS-made Nexus 7 tablet with a Snapdragon S4 Pro.  It didn't seem to work very well with Android, but it worked well enough to play games.  It was much better than the previous year's version made by Nvidia.  However, even version 6 of Android just didn't work well and I gave it away.

I've spent time with Android 9, 10, 11, and 12.  They are better than previous versions.

Related to the Razer Kishi V2, there was a deal on the Google Pixel 6a for US$299.99, down from $449.99.  That's a good price for an unlocked phone.  It's slightly less than the US$399.99 I paid for the OnePlus 8T, but that had 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.  The Pixel 6a has 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.  Both have an OLED display but the 6a is limited to 60Hz while the 8T goes to 120Hz.  The Google Tensor SoC isn't all that different than the Snapdragon 865, but in all reality, the 8T is a flagship device and the 6a isn't.

Conversion

I charged the 6a and when I turned it on, the instructions asked if I wanted to switch from another phone.  As instructed, I plugged a USB, type-C cable into each phone.  The 6a couldn't see the 8T.  I wasn't surprised.  Sometimes, it's difficult to get the phone to charge.  I connected them wirelessly and that seemed to work.

After some time, it finished.  I wondered how it did a complete backup so quickly.  It didn't do a complete backup.  That's how.

It sent the list of apps, contacts, and more.  The apps were being downloaded immediately, but that took quite a while.  Apparently, the data was not always available.  A few Android apps still cling to Facebook and other methods of storing progress, while Google is clearly available.

It took about a week to get things running the way I wanted, although I'm still not sure everything is where it should be.  The OnePlus 8T is empty now, though.

Thankfully, the 6a has a tiny, compatible SIM slot.  Mint Mobile is hard at work.  I've yet to test communications speeds.

On the other hand, game speeds seem decent.  Scrolling a game in landscape mode is jerky.  Animation is fine but that movement across the width of the display is pretty bad.  Is it the display or the graphics processor or the lack of RAM?

So far, the 6a seems okay for the job, and if it seems not good enough, I only have to remember my first Android smartphone: the LG Optimus S that was forever short on storage.  I had to delete apps to update the operating system.  That phone was US$299.99.

Real Life

Okay, so out in the real world, away from Comcast/Xfinity, it's okay for the internet connection.  I was concerned because I tried it close to work and got 3G-type speeds.  At home, I turned off the WiFi and it was faster than the XFinity connection.

What's a bit disappointing is that the display is dark in sunlight, even on cloudy days.  I turned it up to about 80% of maximum brightness and I could barely see the display.  The display on the 8T was readily visible.  Something else that hurts is that the system continues to drop the brightness level to around 30%, without asking.

The horizontal scrolling jerkiness has become less but is still noticeable.  I suspect that having half the storage and half the RAM isn't helping.  However, the 8T was reporting that 150+ GB of storage were in use, and since I don't have that much, I'm not sure how things are working or what extra the 8T was reporting as used.

Cases

Crave Dual Guard case recommended by Amazon is strong but slippery.  It's slipped off the desk and has slipped out of my hands.  I'm glad the case is tough.

Instead, two Spigen cases caught my attention:

Spigen Liquid Air Armor

Spigen Tough Armor

I have used the Tough Armor case for the OnePlus 8T and it was very good.  I've settled on the Liquid Air Armor case for now, as it is a slimmer case.  It doesn't have the kickstand but I rarely used the kickstand for the OnePlus 8T.

Still, I have to remove the case for the Razer Kishi V2.  It's possible that an adjustment to the pads on the controller will allow the case to be used on the controller.

Update 2024.07.15: Ordered a Razer Edge Wi-Fi model to replace the Pixel 6a.  It's been over a year with this awful phone and I just don't want to deal with the frustration any longer.  Newegg had a deal for US$100 off, putting the final price at about 66%.  The Snapdragon G3X should provide a much better experience.  Even the Snapdragon 865 was better than the Tensor 1st generation.

2022 iPhone SE for US$1.25 per month and T-Mobile 5G

 The T-Mobile/Sprint merger has been a bit of a pain, and it's not finished.

In 2021, they seemed to be taking LTE towers from Sprint and turning them into T-Mobile 5G towers.  My service slowed dramatically.  It went from being the fastest in this town to being average.

That all improved in May 2022 when I was able to trade my 2020 iPhone SE for a 2022 iPhone SE for just US$1.25 per month.  Two things changed: the system on a chip jumped two generations and the LTE modem was replaced with one that included 5G (but no mmWave) capabilities.

I used the 2.5 GHz band with WiMAX back around 2012.  Now, it's much more useful supporting 5G communications.  A lot of the work Sprint did has been helping T-Mobile with 5G service.  It seems that there isn't a downside to the T-Mobile network now.  It isn't as good in rural locations as it should be, but it's much better than T-Mobile could ever claim.  During the Voicestream days, they barely had a network that wasn't tied to the freeways.

I'm glad that my information has still been limited to Sprint servers.  T-Mobile has had multiple data breaches and their security just isn't what it should be.  Maybe, they're using an old version of Windows Server from the 1990s.

The 2022 iPhone SE has been good.  It's roughly the same exterior that arrived with the iPhone 7.  I was using a case from the iPhone 7 on the 2020 model.

It's powerful but at this point, is there a need for more?  Android top-of-the-line phones aren't as powerful.  I also have a OnePlus 8T, which was a flagship phone from a couple of years ago.  The Snapdragon 865 with 12 GB of RAM is generally very powerful but it becomes very hot at times.  Both phones have communication moments when the connection seems to lag.  They're still faster on T-Mobile/Mint Mobile 5G than on Xfinity WiFi.

I've been mentioning to a few people about the 3G network shutdowns.  Are you getting another phone, so you'll still have service?  The sooner that old equipment is out of the way, the better for everyone.

The gentleman who owns the house was having trouble with his iPhone 6S and switched to an iPhone 12.  He's having trouble with the gestures, but he's doing better than I might.  I notice occasionally that I cause something to happen on the OnePlus phone because there is apparently a gesture for it and I don't know the modern Android way to get things done.  Then again, each vendor was quite unique in their interpretations.

Update 2024.03.23: It's been almost two years since I got the phone.  The battery capacity is at 88% and I charge every day.  I generally don't go into the power saver zone, but it has happened.

I don't usually keep a phone more than two years now, especially since AppleCare+ was a two year warranty.  I've been paying for it monthly since the previous phone.

The real trouble is that Apple is under pressure to get rid of the last vestige of a phone prior to iPhone X.  I like my Home Button.  They could add an underscreen fingerprint reader, but apparently, they don't want to do that, and I don't want to have or use FaceID.  Now, it is rumored that the follow-up phone will be launched in 2025.

Update 2024.10.08: My battery capacity is 84% now.  The follow-on iPhone SE is about six months away.  It's supposedly totally different and I'm not sure I want it because of Face ID and the inane gestures to get almost anything to happen.

Of course, I can just enter my code to unlock the phone and use secure functions but will that be enough.  I looked at buying an iPhone 15 now that the iPhone 16 is available.  Is $33+ too much each month for 24 months?  I think so.  Will they screw up the new iPhone SE?  It feels as though they're rushing everything that they produce.  I'm still waiting for iOS 17 to be fixed, but they're pushing the new one.

Update 2024.12.17: Battery capacity is just 82% now.  It's being depleted more quickly, along with being charged more quickly.  Those are not good signs.  The replacement will supposedly be like an iPhone 14, but with an A17 SoC, which is a bit of a step back on the processing compared to the 2022 getting the same SoC from the iPhone 13.

They're talking about an OLED display, but at a low refresh rate.  Tried that with the Pixel 6a and it is rubbish.  The OnePlus 8T had a good display since the original retail was a few hundred dollars more than the Pixel 6a.  Then again, the SoC was much better than the Pixel 6a, and it looked as though someone had actually planned the operating system and tested it.

Apple is planning to use their own 5G modem, so who knows how that will go.  They may or may not have their WiFi and Bluetooth chips ready by then.  If the phone starts at more than US$499 for the 64 GB version, I'm not sure it will sell well.  I'll need the 256 GB version and that's been US$150 extra.  If T-Mobile has another deal for $3.75 per month or cheaper, I suppose I will go ahead with it.

If it turns out to be worse than the current iPhone SE, I don't think I'll be keeping it very long.

Update 2025.03.10: Battery capacity is at 79% and there is a warning.

Friday night, I thought about  the iPhone SE replacement, the iPhone 16e.  I bought an iPhone 15 that should be here in about 12 hours.

The 16e might be a great phone.  The deal on T-Mobile for the 16e was cut down about US$7.00 per month to around $18 and change.  Considering that I as paying US$1.25 per month for the 2022 iPhone SE, I figured I should make another choice.  The iPhone 15 was about $1.50 more each month than the iPhone 16e for the same 24 month period, which ended up at $20.00 per month after trade-in.

Tried and true sits well with me.   I really don't want a bad experience.  Why would anyone?

It's been 2+ years with Sprint/T-Mobile and the 2020 iPhone SE

 In 2020, I had completed 20 years with Sprint.  Part of that year, Sprint was part of T-Mobile.

I traded my iPhone 8 for an iPhone SE (2020), which was much the same, but more powerful.  I still have that phone today, and anticipate exchanging it for the 2022 model with 5G capabilities.

T-Mobile took away the best of Sprint's performance to add 5G capabilities.  My 100 Mbps download speed became 45 Mbps or some such.  It has been sufficient.

I recently got a OnePlus 8T and tried Mint Mobile, which is an MVNO using T-Mobile's network.  It works quite well, and at US$20/month for 10 GB, it's a decent deal, especially with 5G included.

I bought the OnePlus 8T to replace a Lenovo tablet with performance equal to my 2012/2013 Google Nexus 7 tablet.  The Snapdragon 865 is much faster than the S4 Pro I had in 2013 and therefore, much faster than that Lenovo tablet with poor 8-core MediaTek processor.  The graphics processor in the Google Nexus 7 tablet from 2013 is the same one that the 2019 Lenovo tablet was using.

In any case, 5G looks good.  I've only tested a couple of times and got one sufficient result and one good result.  If I was paying US$70 per month, I wouldn't bother, but at US$20 per month, it's a good deal.

Update 2022.05.22:

I got the 2022 iPhone SE 5G and it's good, especially for $1.25 per month.  The extra battery life and more powerful processor are somewhat noticeable, while most everything is the same.  The 5G performance is sufficiently good, as it is with the OnePlus 8T.